The present invention relates to flowmeters of the type used to sense and measure flow of a process fluid in industrial process plants. More specifically, the present invention relates to measurement of flow using a magnetic flow meter.
Magnetic flowmeters are generally used to measure flow of a conductive process fluid through an electrically-insulated flow tube. In accordance with Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction, when the conductive process fluid moves in a perpendicular direction through a magnetic field, a voltage is induced in the fluid that is proportional to the velocity of the process fluid. The magnetic field can be created by a coil made out of a wire that has been bent into multiple, closely-spaced loops. A pair of electrodes is then used to measure the voltage induced by the movement of the process fluid.
The magnetic field can be generated by moving electrical charges. The magnetic field is often described using a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by a vector which has a direction and a magnitude (strength). The direction of the vector is determined by the direction in which the current is flowing through the coil. The strength and density of the magnetic field depends on the amount of the current and the area and shape of the coil. In particular, the total strength of the magnetic field increases with the length of the wire. For example, when a wire carrying a current is formed into a loop, the magnetic field concentrates inside the loop. When the wire is bent into multiple loops to form the coil, the magnetic field becomes even more concentrated.